Ambrosia
conceptAmbrosia was the food of the Olympian gods — anyone who consumed it became immortal, but mortals who ate it without permission were severely punished.
The Myth
Ambrosia (meaning "immortal") was served alongside nectar at the gods' table. It conferred immortality and preserved divine beauty. Thetis anointed Achilles with ambrosia. Demeter fed it to the infant Demophon at Eleusis. When Tantalus stole ambrosia to share with mortals, the gods punished him eternally. The substance was ambiguously described — sometimes food, sometimes ointment, sometimes fragrance — but always the line between mortal and divine.
Symbols
Fun Fact
Ambrosia salad — the American dessert with marshmallows and fruit — is named after the food of the gods. The fruit salad does not confer immortality.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth:
Explore Further
Achilles
heroThe greatest warrior in the Greek army at Troy, nearly invulnerable thanks to being dipped in the...
Demeter
godGoddess of grain, harvest, and the fertility of the earth. When her daughter Persephone was...
Eleusis
placeEleusis was a sacred city near Athens, home to the Eleusinian Mysteries — the most important secret...
Tantalus
heroA king who offended the gods by serving them his own son as a meal. His punishment in Tartarus —...
Thetis
nymphThetis was a sea nymph so powerful that both Zeus and Poseidon desired her — until a prophecy...
Aegis
conceptThe aegis was a divine shield or breastplate belonging to Zeus and wielded by Athena, fringed with...